1.2: Simple Present Tense
- Page ID
- 255956
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Photo by Allyson Marceau
Authors of charts and some exercises: Susan Caisse, Kristee Emens-Hesslink, & Jennifer Rueda, Clackamas Community College via OpenOregon Licensed CC-BY-NC
Simple Present Tense Formation
Affirmative Form: Simple Present Tense
I | eat breakfast | in the morning |
You | go shopping | every weekend. |
He | goes to work | at 8:00. |
She | bakes cookies | once in a while. |
It | rains a lot | in summer. |
We | come to class | on Tuesday and Thursday. |
They | study | every day. |
Directions: Write the correct simple present tense form of the verb (in parentheses) on the line
1. My brothers ______________________ (like) to play sports.
2. I ______________________ (take) piano lessons
3. Iced tea ______________________ (taste) good on a hot day.
4. My parents ______________________ (take) a walk every evening after dinner.
5. Both of my sons______________________ (love) to eat my wife’s food.
6. A young couple ______________________ (live) across the street from me.
7. They______________________ (say) "Hi!" to me when they see me.
8. The university ___________________ (offer) degrees in many fields.
9. My dog ______________________ (enjoy) going for walks with my wife.
10. I usually ______________________ (listen to) music in my office.
11. My wife and I ______________________ (do) the grocery shopping on Saturdays
12. We _____________________(go) to the mall when we want to buy clothes
13. A mechanic ______________________ (repair) cars for a living.
14. Students ______________________ (have) to learn irregular verbs.
15. John and Mary, you _________________ (have) a beautiful garden
Negative Statements in the Simple Present
Negatives with the BE Verb
When we make negative sentences using the BE verb, all we need to do is add not after the form of the BE verb.
She is not the teacher.
He is not the cashier.
They are not busy.
Directions: Make these sentences negative by adding not after the verb.
He is the teacher. → He is not the teacher.
1. Sheila is a hairdresser.
_________________________________________
2. The dog is in the garden.
_________________________________________
3. Those students are from Colombia.
_________________________________________
4. Her brother is a lawyer.
_________________________________________
5. It is sunny today.
__________________________________________
6. They are new students.
__________________________________________
Negatives with All Other Verbs
Using Auxiliary Verbs
There are three auxiliary verbs in English: BE, DO, and HAVE. We will learn about BE and DO in this class. We will learn about using HAVE as an auxiliary in the next level. You have already seen the first of our three auxiliary verbs, BE, in Chapter 2. We combine the BE verb with the -ing form of the verb to create the present progressive (an action happening now).
When we make negative sentences with other verbs, we use the auxiliary verb, DO. It has two forms: do and does. The negative not comes after do or does and is followed by the base form of the main verb.
Now that we know what an infinitive form is (e.g., to walk, to sing, to eat), we can learn about the base form. The base form is the form of the verb when we remove the to from the infinitive (e.g., walk, sing, eat, etc).
The base form is the infinitive without the to. Instead of “to sing” (infinitive), the base form is sing. Do not add -s to the base verb. Let’s look at an example sentence.
subject+ do/does + neg. base verb + the rest of the sentence
He does not sing in the shower.
- He is the subject
- Does is the auxiliary verb. Do/Does agrees with the subject (3rd person singular: add -es).
- Sing is the main verb in the base form. Do not add -s to the main verb.
subject + auxiliary DO + not + base form + rest of sentence
Subject | Auxiliary DO | Negative | Base Form of Main Verb | Rest of Sentence |
---|---|---|---|---|
I You We They |
do |
not |
drink |
coffee after 5:00 pm. |
He She It |
does | not | work | on Sundays. |
Negative Contractions
To make negative contractions, we contract the auxiliary verb and the negative.
Subject | Auxiliary DO + not |
---|---|
I You We They |
do not = don’t |
He She It |
does not = doesn’t |
Directions: Choose the correct form, and then write the contraction on the line. Remember that the auxiliary DO (do/does) has to agree with the subject.
1. The teacher do not / does not eat meat.
___________________________________________________
2. I am a homemaker. I do not / does not work outside my home.
___________________________________________________
3. She is a professor. She do not / does not work in an office.
___________________________________________________
4. He is a vegetarian. He do not / does not eat meat.
___________________________________________________
5. They do not / does not drink coffee in the evening.
___________________________________________________
6. Luis do not / does not like to wake up early.
___________________________________________________
7. Yuri do not / does not want to come to school late.
___________________________________________________
8. Yuri do not / does not press snooze on his alarm clock.
___________________________________________________
9. They do not / does not have the same habits.
___________________________________________________
10. This do not / does not look like a good book.
___________________________________________________
Directions: Write the correct form of do or does on the line.
The negative has two parts: the auxiliary DO (do/does) + the main verb.
(do/walk) I do not walk to school.
- (do/sing) She ________ not ___________ in public.
- (do/write) They ________ not ___________ on the wall.
- (do/drive) He ________ not ___________ for a job.
- (do/ask) You ________ not ___________ for more money.
- (do/play) We ________ not ___________ the guitar.
- (do/like) Their dog ________ not ___________ my cat.
- (do/type) She ________ not ___________ fast.
- (do/read) He ________ not ___________ online.
Directions: Make these sentences negative. Use full forms for numbers 1-5 and contractions for numbers 6-10.
1. I go to work at 3:00 pm.
____________________________________________________
2. She wants to eat Chinese food.
_____________________________________________________
3. They have two children.
____________________________________________________
4. He has a dog and two cats.
____________________________________________________
5. You need to stand in line.
____________________________________________________
6. She finishes her homework.
____________________________________________________
7. I eat breakfast.
____________________________________________________
8. You drink coffee.
____________________________________________________
9. He drinks diet soda.
____________________________________________________
10. My car has red seats.
___________________________________________________
Part 1 Directions: Use the sentences below to interview your partner. Take notes on your own lined paper.
Student A: Tell me a food you don’t like.
Student B: I don’t like eggs.
- Tell me a food you don’t like.
- Tell me a movie you don’t like.
- Tell me a place you don’t like.
- Tell me a sport you don’t like.
- Tell me a color you don’t like.
- Tell me a household task you don’t like.
- Tell me a type of music you don’t like.
- Tell me a book you don’t like.
Part 2 Directions: Now, write 5 sentences about your partner. Use your notes to help you. Write your partner’s answers in FULL sentences.
She doesn’t like eggs.
- _________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________
Review
Activity 1: Error Correction
Directions: There are 10 mistakes in the paragraph below. Find the mistakes with the simple present, adverbs of frequency, negative sentences, or -s / -es endings and correct them.
My name is Jacques. I lives next to Yuri and Luis. I am a student at SanJac also. I arrive always early to class. My brother drive me to school. I do not drives. I eat lunch with my friends. We eat often at Ana and Pedro’s house. I doesn’t cook. After class, always I study in the library. I finishes my homework in the afternoon. I study with my friend. My friend Luis finish his homework at night. I live with my family. My mother cook dinner for the family. She wash the dishes after dinner. I dry them.
Activity 2: Writing
Directions: Rewrite these sentences to include the adverb of frequency in parentheses.
1. (usually) We eat dinner outside in summer.
___________________________________________________
2. (always) I wear slippers in the house.
___________________________________________________
3. (never) My family wakes up early.
___________________________________________________
4. (sometimes) My friends and I watch movies on Fridays.
___________________________________________________
5. (rarely) We eat uncooked food.
___________________________________________________
6. (often) They are late to class.
___________________________________________________
7. (usually) I do my homework on a computer.
___________________________________________________
8. (seldom) She takes her dog to the dog park.
___________________________________________________
9. (usually) You are on time.
___________________________________________________
10. (rarely) She eats fast food.
___________________________________________________
Activity 3: Writing
Directions: Write the question on the line below. Use the answer for extra information. Some questions are wh-questions, and some are yes/no questions.
1. A: _________________________________
B: I wake up at 8:00 am.
2. A: _________________________________
B: Yes, I do (I have a dog.)
3. A:_________________________________
B: My birthday is in August.
4. A: _________________________________
B: No, I don’t. (I don’t do my homework in the morning.)
5. A: _________________________________
B: I take a shower in the morning.
6. A: _________________________________
B: I arrive early for class.
7. A: _________________________________
B: He drives to school.
8. A: _________________________________
B: He washes the dishes every day.
9. A: _________________________________
B: Yes, I do. (I exercise 3 times a week.)
10. A: _________________________________
B: I eat fast food once a month.
Activity 4: Write a Paragraph
Directions: Write a paragraph comparing your daily schedule with a partner’s daily schedule. Use the simple present tense, adverbs of frequency, and time expressions.
Pre-writing:
- Write 6 questions to ask your partner. Use 6 different wh-question words. There is a place to write each question in the chart that follows.
- Answer the 6 questions for yourself.
- Choose a partner, ask your questions, and then write down your partner’s answers.
Examples
What time do you eat breakfast?
When do you go grocery shopping?
Question |
My Answer |
Partner’s Answer |
1. |
||
2. |
||
3. |
||
4. |
||
5. |
||
6. |
Format:
- Use your own 8.5″ x 11″ lined paper. Do not use other paper sizes, please.
- Heading: Put your full name, the due date, and Ch. 3 Writing Assignment at the top of your paper. Your instructor will tell you where the heading goes (left or right side).
- Indent the first sentence, skip lines (double space), and leave a 1-inch margin on the sides and bottom.
Writing and Grammar:
- First sentence: begin writing by using this topic sentence: [Partner’s name] and I are classmates, but we are very different.
- In your sentences, write your answer and your partner’s answer.
Example
I always wake up at 6:00 am. My partner wakes up at 8:00 am.
- Use 3 adverbs of frequency.
- Write 2 negative sentences.
- Use full forms; do not use contractions.
- Use capital letters and punctuation correctly.
- Use the rubric below to check your work.
Model Paragraph:
My partner and I are classmates, but we are very different. I get up very early at 5:00 am. My partner doesn’t get up early. She often gets up at 9:00 am. I usually drink coffee in the morning, but my partner doesn’t like coffee. She likes tea instead. I have two children, so I am busy with them. My partner is married, but she doesn’t have any children. I leave for school at 8:30 am. My partner never goes straight to school. She goes to her parents house first. She always helps them because they are very old. My parents are still young at age 50 and 55.
Assignment Rubric:
Heading: Full Name, Due Date, Ch. 3 Writing Assignment |
1 point |
Format: Indent, double space, margins |
1 point |
Your paragraph has at least 10 sentences |
1 point |
Every sentence has a subject and verb, & they agree |
1 point |
There are 3 adverbs of frequency |
3 points |
There are 2 negative sentences |
4 points |
Correct use of spelling |
1 point |
Correct use of capital letters |
1 point |
Correct end punctuation |
1 point |
Total |
14 points |